There Will Be Food! Part One: An Ode to Tomatoes and Basil - Frittata

I'm tired of dreary skies and cold weather.  Granted, its been a very mild winter, but whatever, I like sunshine and warmth dammit.  So in an attempt to bring a little bit of summer to me, I buy some tomatoes and basil.  Two ingredients that, to me, scream summer delight.  So, I've prepared them two ways.  One for breakfast and one as a snack.  This first blog entry will be breakfast!

Breakfast Frittata

Serves 1

Ingredients
2 large eggs beaten
1 cup raw spinach, cooked until tender then roughly chopped
1/2 medium tomato, chopped
6-8 leaves of basil, sliced thinly
1/8 cup pancetta, finely cubed (roughly half of a 1/4" slice from a local deli or to taste).  You could also substitute 1-2 slices of bacon.
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper for taste
3 slices of fresh Italian bread

Use a non-stick skillet on medium to low heat and add the cubed pancetta.  Once the pancetta is lightly browned and has released its juices (rendered out the fat), add the tomatoes and spinach.  Saute until the tomatoes are heated through, about 2 minutes.  Evenly spread the ingredients around the skillet and then add the eggs.  I try to also evenly distribute the eggs around the skillet so that it will cook evenly.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.  It should look a little something like this.

At this point I turn on the oven broiler to high.  In my oven, there is a rack that I put the Italian bread slices on.  The broiler is very hot and will burn the bread quickly, so you'll have to watch it.  It should only take a few minutes per side to achieve the desired toastiness.  If you don't have a broiler, you can just go ahead and start toasting your bread in a regular toaster.

Back to the frittata.  Once the edges of the eggs are firm and the center is looking less wet, about 5 minutes total, add the thinly sliced fresh basil.

Now, I don't like wet eggs so its time to put this pan under the broiler for about a minute, just to cook the top of the eggs.  This isn't the best pan for the job but its all I had.  The handle is a rubber composite and will melt if left unattended.  Your best bet is for an oven safe pan.  The handle will usually be all metal.  Once you have cooked the top of the frittata under the broiler you will see the edges pull away from the edge of the pan.  This is my signal that it is done.

Oh my god its finally time to eat!  Butter those little slices of bread, use a spatula to loosen the frittata from the pan and slide it onto a dish.  You could top this with a little grated parmesan cheese if you would like.

Just try and tell me this doesn't look delicious.....